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Today at CPAC: African-Americans should be “allowed to vote in Africa”

At a CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) panel today on minority outreach, there was a heated moment when one participant suggested that slavery had been good for African-Americans.

Scott Terry, from North Carolina, asked whether it would be possible for the GOP to endorse blacks and whites living “separate but equal.”  The moderator of the panel, K. Carl Smith of Frederick Douglass Republicans, answered by referencing a letter by Frederick Douglass in which Douglass forgave his former master, to which Terry said “For what? For feeding him and housing him?”

ThinkProgress spoke with Terry, who sported a Rick Santorum sticker and attended CPAC with a friend who wore a Confederate Flag-emblazoned t-shirt, about his views after the panel. Terry maintained that white people have been “systematically disenfranchised” by federal legislation.

When asked by ThinkProgress if he’d accept a society where African-Americans were permanently subservient to whites, he said “I’d be fine with that.” He also claimed that African-Americans “should be allowed to vote in Africa,” and that “all the Tea Parties” were concerned with the same racial problems that he was.

At one point, a woman challenged him on the Republican Party’s roots, to which Terry responded, “I didn’t know the legacy of the Republican Party included women correcting men in public.”

Just another day at CPAC folks…

(via ThinkProgress)

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Maryland: State legislature votes to repeal death penalty

The Associated Press is reporting the Maryland General Assembly has approved a measure to repeal the death penalty.
The House of Delegates voted 82 to 56 Friday to pass a bill already approved by the Senate.
Gov. Martin O’Malley is expected to sign it the bill into law.
Maryland would become the 18th state to abolish the death penalty.
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NOM’s Brian Brown: Prop 8 challenge “biggest strategic mistake” for gay rights

SiriusXM’s Michelangelo Signorile interviews Brian Brown of the anti-gay hate group National Organization for Marriage:

From the 7:30 mark: “We are going to win at the Supreme Court,” he said. “It will be shown to be the biggest strategic mistake the supporters of same-sex marriage ever have made [to challenge Prop 8]. And the reality is that all of them knew this. All of the major [gay] groups knew this. They knew this was the wrong time. We’re going to find that out. Justice Kennedy is not going to launch another culture war like Roe. He’s not going to have Supreme Court interject and short circuit the Democratic process.”

Mind you, Brown was speaking here before the news broke that John Eastman, NOM’s national board chair, said that Supreme Court Justice John Roberts had chosen the “second best option” by adopting children.  Not exactly how to win friends and influence people, I’d say.

Also, after Brown’s statements GOP Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio reversed his position and came out for marriage equality.

All that said, I’m not sure how unified all these GOP “standard bearers” are in their positions on the issue.

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Bill Gates: Boy Scouts should drop gay scout ban

In an ABC News interview, Bill Gates was asked about what he learned in scouting. He was also asked if the scouts should allow openly gay members,

Q: Should the Boy Scouts of America rescind it’s ban on gay members and leaders?

Bill Gates: Absolutely

Q: Why?

Bill Gates: It’s 2013

And there you have it…

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I’ve loved you since you were born – Dad

How sweet and wonderful is this?

A letter posted on the Facebook page of FCKH8 is going viral today.  Here’s the text of the note:

Nate,

I overheard your phone conversation with Mike last night about your plans to come out to me. The only thing I need you to plan is to bring home OJ and bread after class. We are out, like you now.

I’ve known you were gay since you were six, I’ve love you since you were born.

– Dad

P.S. Your mom and I think you and Mike make a cute couple.
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Sen. Rob Portman now supports marriage equality

 

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman has become the first sitting GOP senator to announce his support for marriage equality:

“I’m announcing today a change of heart on an issue a lot of people feel strongly about. It has to do with gay couples’ opportunity to marry. During my career in the House and also the last few years in the Senate I’ve taken a position against gay marriage rooted in part in my faith and my faith tradition..
“I had a very personal experience which is my son came to Jane, my wife and I, told us he was gay and that it was not a choice, that’s just part of who he is and that he had been that way since he could remember.”

From Sen. Portman’s op-ed for the Columbus Dispatch: 

“The process of citizens persuading fellow citizens is how consensus is built and enduring change is forged. That’s why I believe change should come about through the democratic process in the states.  Judicial intervention from Washington would circumvent that process as it’s moving in the direction of recognizing marriage for same-sex couples. An expansive court ruling would run the risk of deepening divisions rather than resolving them.

“I’ve thought a great deal about this issue, and like millions of Americans in recent years, I’ve changed my mind on the question of marriage for same-sex couples. As we strive as a nation to form a more perfect union, I believe all of our sons and daughters ought to have the same opportunity to experience the joy and stability of marriage.”

Reactions from across the political spectrum:  

Log Cabin Republicans: “If there was any doubt that the conservative logjam on the issue of civil marriage for committed gay and lesbian couples has broken, Senator Portman’s support for the freedom to marry has erased it. Senator Portman’s evolution on this issue highlights how personal it is for Americans — whether they’re the Junior Senator from Ohio or your next-door neighbor, all Americans have a gay friend, colleague or family member, and understand them to be as deserving as their straight counterparts of the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that are the promise of the United States.”

 Human Rights Campaign: “Like countless dads across the country, Senator Portman has made the basic and courageous choice to put parenting before politics. When it comes to marriage equality, all Americans are on the same journey toward recognizing our common humanity. But while 8 in 10 Americans know a gay or lesbian person, it still takes unique courage to speak out publicly for equality. We are very grateful to Senator Portman for his virtuous stand in support of this civil rights cause.”  

Freedom to Marry Ohio: “The honorable U.S. Sen. Portman is the first Republican member of the United States Senate to endorse the freedom to marry, but we believe he will not be the last. We are moved by the love and support U.S. Sen. Portman and his wife are showing their son. We appreciate the fact that the Senator wants his son to be able to marry and form a family to find the same happiness and security as his parents. Each day you can feel the momentum building toward ending marriage discrimination in Ohio. We are going to work even harder with our wonderful volunteers across the state to collect the signatures needed to put this amendment before voters.”